Store Hours:
8am-5pm Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm on
Saturday & Sunday. These will be the store hours through
April.
Pictured up top is a beautiful dry fly wild
brown trout from the “Secret Spot” (lol) by Grant Magee this past
weekend, caught on a Blue Winged Olive/Baetis dry. Second pic is a
big ‘Bow I caught after work on Saturday.
We have
tons of books at the moment- just got in a bunch of used book as well
as a big order of new books that came in last week. Also, more used rods & reels came in over the weekend, we have a BIG inventory of used stuff.
Diamondback
Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are
here! I know many of
you have been eagerly anticipating them, and now we have the full
line-up, minus the 10' 7" #4 (not available yet, probably in the
early fall). The models we have include 10' and 10' 7" lengths
in #1, #2, #3, and 10' 7" in #6 & #7. The rods feel great,
with crisp and extremely responsive tip sections that recover
immediately with almost no bounce, and plenty of backbone in the
lower half of the rods. Each model includes an instruction sheet
explaining what that particular rod is best for (fish size, tippet
size, hook size, leader type, suggested reel weight, applications,
etc.). The 1 & 2 weight models have slightly softer tips than
their predecessors, but still have plenty of backbone in the mid to
lower rod for when you do hook a bigger fish. The 10’ 7” 3 weight
is your all around Euro stick for the Farmington River, it will do
almost everything and do it well. He added in a 10' 7" #7 rod
for those requesting a heavier Great Lakes Steelhead/Salmon rod for
bigger fish & heavier tippets, and the updated 6 weight version
also has more backbone than it’s predecessor while maintaining a
flexible tip to protect your tippet. The 1 weight comes in a longer
10’ 7” version now, not just the 10' length- it’s a pretty cool
rod for fishing lighter tippets, thinner/micro leader butts, and
lighter flies, while still having enough backbone to land a good
fish. Prices are $625 for the 10 footers, and $650 for the 10' 7"
models.
Friday morning
4/11/25 River Report:
The Riverton Derby took place this
past Saturday 4/12, the winning fish was a 12#, 27 ½’ rainbow,
with the 2nd & 3rd place fish both over 7#.
I fished there after work Saturday (been doing Opening Day there
since before I could drive), managed a bunch of rainbows & brook
trout, along with one golden rainbow and a fat 20” plus 4 1/4#
rainbow. The big surprise was a 17” wild brown that Brent M. pulled
right before dark- it’s very unusual to catch a nice wild there
this time of year.
The total flow on the river below
the Still River and in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R)
is 417cfs and slowly dropping, the historical
median flow for today is 541cfs- I’d call today’s flow a medium
water level. Riverton is 181cfs between the dam
and the Rt. 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storage. The Still River is
adding in 236cfs and dropping a little below that.
Riverton water temp is 40.5 degrees this morning, it reached 43.5
degrees yesterday afternoon. Downstream water temps are generally
higher (averaging mid to upper 40’s, even reaching 50 on the
warmest, sunny days) due to the influence of the Still River and
other tributaries, especially on mild/sunny days. Peak water temps
are normally mid to late afternoon. Unionville USGS gauge is reading
716cfs, historical median flow for today is 987cfs.
Fishing
has picked up overall. I see a lot of very mild temps in the long
range forecast, this should be good for fishing as it will increase
water temps, bug activity, and trout feeding. Outside of the
Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R), most of the river has
been stocked 2x with more to come this month and next. The Permanent
TMA/C&R will get stocked in the next week or two, we will let you
know when it happens. The easiest fishing is in the recently stocked
water, no surprise there. But the Permanent TMA/C&R is picking up
and some quality holdovers and wilds are showing up. We’ve seen
some good afternoon (about 2-4pm) hatches of early season Blue Winged
Olives/Baetis #16-18 (mostly 18’s lately). There have been a modest
number of risers, but the dry fly action has been spotty. Subsurface
is still the much more predictable and consistent method. Various
smaller nymphs in #16-20 have been working on stockers, holdovers &
wilds. Junk Flies can be particularly effective on the stocked fish,
often vastly outproducing traditional nymphs. And some days the wild
browns like to eat the Junk too. If one of your nymphs is a Junk Fly,
pair it up with something smaller, drabber & more natural.
Streamers are also an excellent choice. Make sure to cover lots of
water, play with streamer color/pattterns, and vary your retrieves.
Still
seeing some Early Black Stones averaging #14, lots of small to
microscopic Midges, and small gray/brown Caddis in about #20
(Apatania/Smoky Winged Sedge?). Look for Hendricksons to start up
downriver (Collinsville/Unionville) later this month, I’m guessing
by April 20th. Nymphing has been by far the most
consistent tactic lately, with fish coming on #14-18 Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies, #16-18 BWO nymphs, #14-16 olive Caddis larva/Walt’s
Worms, Mops, Egg Flies, and smaller flies #16-20 with pink beads
(Walt’s/PT’s/Hare’s Ears). Many fish are holding in faster
water with some current now, especially in the afternoons when water
temps go up, insect activity increases, and the trout get more
active.
Fishing reports have varied widely, depending on
the angler, river section fished, time of day, and methods/flies
used. Dry fly anglers are working a lot harder than those anglers
fishing subsurface. Nymphs & streamers are producing most of the
fish and almost all of the bigger fish. Expect to work for the high
quality holdover & wild fish. If you get into a pod of recently
stocked fish, you can do some numbers. For the most part, it’s been
more of a quality over quantity situation on the holdover & wild
brown trout. It pays to move around and cover water currently. It one
section is not producing, don’t beat it to death, move to a new
area. The big wild browns are the hardest to fool, you need to do
everything correctly. They’ve seen it all, and they spook easily.
They are also very tuned into real bugs & minnows. With gradually
rising water temps and increased bug activity, trout are sliding out
of slower water and into faster water to feed. This is especially
true on mild afternoons.
Quick
Tip:
Many of you are Euro Nymphing, and wind is your
biggest enemy. 2025 has been super windy. Make sure to carry some
small & medium Air-Lock strike indicators with you. Pop one on
your Euro leader, they are surprisingly easy to cast due to their
weight & aerodynamic design. On a windy day, this will anchor
your rig to the surface so the wind can’t blow on your leader and
move your flies during the drift. If you don’t want to do this, try
fishing closer with your rod tip lower to the water, and bump up your
anchor fly up to the next bead size, even 2 sizes up if it’s really
windy. Also, thinner Micro Leaders are less affected by the wind due
to their skinnier diameter and therefore reduced surface area. Bulky
anchor flies like Mops & big Rubber Leg Stoneflies are more
resistant to being pulled up toward the surface by the wind.
Perdigones are a bad choice for an anchor fly on a windy day because
they have so little water resistance the wind easily pulls them up
toward the surface.
The Farmington River was stocked
recently on virtually the entire river, except for the Permanent
TMA/C&R (that will get stocked very soon). FYI, 20% of the trout
they stock throughout the state are over one foot, with some much
larger. Almost all trout fishing in the river and streams around the
state is Catch & Release until April 12th, but still
open to fishing.
16-18” has been a pretty common size
lately for the holdovers and wild trout, with the occasional 20-22”
brown landed by lucky/skillful anglers, along with some giant FRAA
rainbows that push 20-24”+. The recently stocked trout will
typically run 12-16”, with rainbows being the most common catch.
Fishing Tip:
After you nymph a fishy
section of water, before you leave make one more pass with either a
“Junk Fly” (Mop, Egg, Squirmy Worm) or a jigged streamer, it will
often result in one or more additional fish. My personal go to
clean-up flies are cream mops & jigged streamers (olive, tan,
white, black). Although most of a trout’s diet is smaller bugs,
sometimes it takes a bigger piece of food to entice them to eat. A
big meal can be too enticing to resist. Plus they will move further
to eat a bigger fly. Sometimes you have to almost hit them on the
nose with a small nymph to get them to eat, and those subtle eats can
be very hard to detect. If you are playing with jig streamers, make
sure to try different colors, some days it makes a BIG difference.
Top 3 streamer colors lately have been olive, tan, and white. Other
colors can have their moments, but usually one of those colors will
get it done. Freshly stocked trout (especially rainbows) like black
streamers. Also experiment with different presentations: dead-drift,
occasional twitches, actively jigged, swung, and stripped in with
different retrieves. Sometimes they will eat it on the dangle when
it’s hanging straight downstream of you, wafting around enticingly
in the current until the trout cannot stand it any
longer.
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Blue
Winged Olives/Baetis #16-18: Mid afternoon hatch, often better on
crappy, overcast days.
-Early Black Stones #12-16: afternoon
hatch, sunny/mild days are best.
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24:
hatch is typically early to mid morning, all year long. Trout focus
on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally
switch to the winged, egg-laying adults.
-Midges #20-28:
afternoons, sunny/milder days are best
Nymphs:
-Blue
Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-18: active/hatching in the
afternoons, good all year, a common item in the drift
-Black
Stonefly #12-16: afternoons, mild sunny afternoons are the best of
all
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these in the
river (most others too), imitates the common Hydrospyche, good all
year but especially in early spring
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies
#14-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Blue Winged
Olives, Hendricksons, small Stoneflies, and more
-Cased Caddis
#10-16: good this time of year, especially during & after flow
bumps
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)- also imitates
Black Caddis larva & some Midge larva
-Egg Flies #12-20:
Eggstasy, Otter Eggs, Glo-Bugs, Sucker Spawn, etc. Shades of yellow,
orange, pink, or a mix of those. Killer on recently stocked trout.
Try Otter Eggs on extra picky fish.
-Junk Flies (Mops/Micro
Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Eggs, Green Weenie): eggs are
deadly in the fall/winter/early spring, and the others are good
change-up flies when the usual imitative flies aren’t producing,
during non-hatch times, cold water, on recently stocked trout, or
during higher/off-color water.
-Attractor Nymphs #14-20: such as
Sexy Waltz, Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threats, Pink
Bead Walt’s Worm/Pheasant Tails/Hare’s Ear, etc. Often work
better than drabber, more imitative flies.
-Midges #18-22
(black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge.
Streamers:
*We
have a lot of new streamer patterns from MT Fly Co in the bins.
***Don’t
neglect streamers! - top 3 colors have been olive, tan, and
white. Black is good on recently stocked trout, during low light
(first & last light), and high/dirty water.
-Jigged
Streamers #8-12: various patterns/colors, deadly fished on a
tight-line/Euro rig, often sorts out bigger fish. Great to use as a
clean-up fly after you nymph a run.
-Ice Picks (tan, gray,
white, yellow): tied by Rich Strolis, a very nice single hook
baitfish pattern
-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also
Don's Peach Bugger
-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In
white, natural
-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fall fly! Also
standard Matuka in olive, brown
-Zuddler #4-8: one of our
favorites, in olive, white, brown, black, yellow
-Complex &
Mini Twist Bugger #2-6: assorted colors, very effective